Wide Open Spaces
by badly-knitted
Summary: Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle of Torchwood, Ianto forgets how nice it can be to just relax and take in the views afforded by the beautiful Welsh countryside. Written for fic promptly.


**Title:** Wide Open Spaces

 **Author:** badly-knitted

 **Characters:** Ianto, Jack.

 **Rating:** PG

 **Spoilers:** None.

 **Summary:** Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle of Torchwood, Ianto forgets how nice it can be to just relax and take in the views afforded by the beautiful Welsh countryside.

 **Word Count:** 839

 **Written For:** m_findlow's prompt 'Any, any, uninterrupted view,' at fic_promptly.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Torchwood, or the characters. They belong to the BBC.

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 **DottyWho:** It does rather, doesn't it? I wonder if the Doctor sells tickets to travel by TARDIS... Thank you!

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From where Jack and Ianto were, they had an uninterrupted view across a wide open expanse of tall grasses that swayed in the wind, rippling and seeming to change colour like a restless sea. Right on the horizon, beyond the lake they could see sparkling in the sunlight, and the forest that stretched from its far shore, they could make out the imposing shapes of mountains, made hazy and purplish by distance.

The scenery was stunning, and Ianto couldn't help wishing he had a camera available; he would have liked to capture the natural splendour spread out in all its glory like a vast landscape painting. He was quite enjoying having nothing to do but observe, taking in all the details that he would normally have overlooked, too busy with other, more important things to pay mother nature the attention she so richly deserved.

Above them, the sky was a deep cobalt blue, with small, fluffy white clouds drifting lazily across it like sheep leisurely grazing on a hillside. The sun was pleasantly warm without being too hot, and there was a warm but refreshing breeze blowing, ruffling their hair and carrying with it the scents of flowers and the melodic trill of skylarks so high overhead they were visible only as tiny black dots against the canopy of the sky.

Out here, miles from the nearest road, there was no traffic to disturb the tranquillity. In fact despite their wide field of view, they could see no sign of human habitation, not even cows or the ubiquitous Welsh sheep. Apart from themselves, the only living creatures they could see or hear were the skylarks, a few other small birds, the occasional Buzzard circling lazily as it hunted, and…

Ianto nudged Jack with his elbow. "Look, down there, off to your left by that little copse. Is that a deer?" he whispered.

Jack looked in the indicated direction, his 51st century eyesight a little sharper than Ianto's. "A doe with her fawn. I don't think it's very old, it looks a bit wobbly on its feet."

"How lovely!" Ianto smiled with delight.

"Over there, wild rabbits." Jack nodded towards an area of shorter grass.

"I see them. They'd better watch out for that buzzard, they're probably what it's hunting."

"Yeah, be careful, bunnies!" Jack grinned at Ianto. "I wonder what we'd see if we were up here at night!"

"Not much; it'd be too dark unless we had night vision goggles or something."

"Oh." Jack sounded disappointed. "I hadn't thought of that."

"That's what you have me for; to point out the obvious," Ianto smirked.

"Among other things," Jack agreed. "I was right though, wasn't I? This is the perfect weather for hang gliding."

Ianto nodded. "It is now anyway. The wind was a bit too gusty earlier, we probably should've waited for that squall to pass before we launched."

"I know, sorry about that. I didn't think it would be that rough; it was a bit scary."

"I'll admit I was having visions of an untimely death for a while there."

"We came through it in one piece though."

"We were lucky, we could've smashed into the side of a mountain, or crashed into the lake and drowned."

"But we didn't. There's no point dwelling on what might have happened, so just relax and enjoy the view."

"I am. You wouldn't happen to have something to eat, would you? I'm getting hungry; I wasn't expecting to need supplies until we landed so I left the snacks I brought in the car. Next time I'll know better."

"So we'll be doing this again?"

"Hang gliding? Oh yeah, it's amazing! Flying like a bird!"

"I knew you'd like it!" Letting go with one hand, Jack rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a half-melted Mars bar. "Here, this is all I've got with me; it's not much, but you're welcome to it." He held it out to Ianto, who accepted it.

"We can share, half each."

"No, that's okay, you eat it."

"Well, if you're sure…"

"Positive. You need food more than I do."

"Okay then, thanks." Ianto tore open the wrapper with his teeth and took a bite, chewing slowly. He swallowed before speaking again. "How long did rescue services say it would be before they could get to us?"

Jack checked his watch. "They should be here in just under an hour."

"Hmmm." Ianto looked around from where he and Jack were dangling, thoroughly tangled in their glider and practically immobilised, from the topmost branches of a very tall tree. "I hope they're bringing a very big ladder, because we're an awfully long way off the ground."

"Just be grateful the tree was there to catch us, or we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Well, you know me, I have a very healthy appreciation for trees, and we are getting a very nice view from here." Ianto smiled contentedly and took another bite of his Mars Bar. On the whole, things could have turned out a lot worse.

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The End


End file.
